Sen. Thom Tillis on Saturday pushed back against remarks from fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, saying Greenland’s residents care deeply about who controls the island and urging respect for the Danish territory’s sovereignty as President Donald Trump has floated taking it over.
The disagreement flared at the Munich Security Conference after Graham's argument on Friday that the Trump administration’s push to seize control of Greenland is being overplayed, and predicted Trump would ultimately use the issue to expand U.S. defenses in the Arctic, reports Politico.
In his comments, Graham, R-S.C., credited Trump with pressuring NATO countries to increase defense spending, while dismissing the sovereignty question.
"Who gives an [expletive] who owns Greenland?” Graham added.
Appearing at the conference on Saturday, Tillis responded without naming Graham directly.
"Who gives an [expletive] about who owns Greenland? The 85,000 indigenous people in Greenland give an [expletive] about who owns Greenland," Tillis, R-N.C., said.
"And at the end of the day, we need to show respect," he added.
The exchange underscored divisions in Congress, including among Republicans, over Trump’s talk of taking the Danish territory.
Trump has threatened to use force to take over Greenland, which already hosts U.S. troops and a U.S. radar installation.
The threat has rattled the NATO alliance, with some U.S. allies warning that any American move to take control of Greenland could permanently rupture the coalition.
"Our nation was founded on rejecting bullies," Tillis said.
"I think it’s in our DNA whether we want to believe it or not," he added. "Every once in a while, the rhetoric gets a little bit hot."
"We get a little bit cowboy-ish, but at the end of the day, the collective consciousness of the American people does not like bullies," said Tillis.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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